State of the forum

pdxleaf · Sep 2, 2021

Could be a little ::stirthepot::

but don't mean to cause 🫨 I might feel 😬 at bringing it up. If needed, feel free to :whipped:

me.

I noticed a few closed threads and a few heated threads lately.

For folks who have been around more than five years, is this typical? Something that just comes up now and then, as we are just people who sometimes get emotional? Or has the general tone deteriorated somewhat?

Are we all good, or do we need a collective time out?

I would be 😀 if no one replied. I would take that means everything is 👍.

As a relatively new member, I am grateful for the community that you all have built over the years. I hope all you ☕ are still 😁.

Caliber561 · Sep 2, 2021

I haven't been here super long, but to me, there has always seemed to be some modicum of drama present on the forum. There are snarky replies and arguments, but those are always present to some degree anywhere discussions take place.

That said, is it possible more members are becoming jaded with newbies asking for an appraisal without posting pictures, etc? Is it possible that there are more newbies joining with less of an understanding of our forum's etiquette as Omega – and watches – seem to get more popular? There's really no way to know unless we have the numbers, but that's not to say your observations are invalid.

dsio · Sep 2, 2021

We sometimes have to refocus on watches and away from drama and politics, the 2016 US election cycle was the worst time, 2020 US election cycle wasn’t as bad but wasn’t great either, the learning experience from 2016 in particular though was that we initially stepped back and let things play out until we saw friendships getting ruined and the totally unrelated arguments spilling into watch threads which was just unacceptable. From about midway through 2016 we were much more active in removing politics threads and telling people who repeatedly start it here to take it to Facebook which is where they really belongs

Shabbaz · Sep 2, 2021

I always tell the kids when they have a problem with somebody to stop apping and just call him or her. It's much easier to say something bad about somebody when writing then tell it to somebody 's face.

dennisthemenace · Sep 2, 2021

I think the fact that you need to ask the question in the first place says a lot about the way the forum is heading.

Rochete · Sep 2, 2021

Societies are becoming more and more polarized, raw nerves everywhere, blatant censorship and cancel culture becoming the new global norm. One and a half year of pandemia isn't helping.

Appart from that, business as usual.

Walrus · Sep 2, 2021

pdxleaf
Could be a little but don't mean to cause 🫨 I might feel 😬 at bringing it up. If needed, feel free to me.

I noticed a few closed threads and a few heated threads lately.

For folks who have been around more than five years, is this typical? Something that just comes up now and then, as we are just people who sometimes get emotional? Or has the general tone deteriorated somewhat?

Are we all good, or do we need a collective time out?

I would be 😀 if no one replied. I would take that means everything is 👍.

As a relatively new member, I am grateful for the community that you all have built over the years. I hope all you ☕ are still 😁.

Whenever you throw a bunch of humans in a space to talk about things drama is bound to ensue. Some people must be right at any cost, some people are outright evil because they are a member of a certain party, I need therapy and some feel the need to post a cat whenever drama pops up, those are the ones I really don’t trust. Basically if we are talking about anything other than the originality of a second hand threads should be locked and ban sandwiches should be handed out

apsm100 · Sep 2, 2021

Haven't been around for that long either and mostly lurk but I don't feel like the tone has changed much since I joined; though COVID has melted everyones brains a bit.

gbesq · Sep 2, 2021

Why don’t all of you just shut your pie holes? You’re all wrong anyway!

Sorry, couldn’t resist. 😀 Seriously, I think that the vast majority of OF’s members engage in civil discourse and are respectful of others even when they disagree. In the minority of instances where someone steps over the line or threads become too argumentative or off topic, the mods do a very good job of addressing those matters promptly and fairly.

DoctorEvil · Sep 2, 2021

I've been a member since the start of the year and from what I've seen so far, this community has been largely welcoming and supportive. There are many knowledgeable people here who are willing to spend their time offering advice to those in need or educating newbies about watches.

I've only ever encountered one member who was a bit of an obnoxious douchebag but I suspect he was just a troll who wanted to stir as that person hasn't been seen again since. Thankfully such people are truly rare.

Watches are emotive purchases so naturally they can stir up strong feelings in us and inspire robust debate. But as long as people are respectful of others' opinions and observe basic good manners then all will be OK.

Just want to thank everyone for making this forum mostly fun and enjoyable. It's been a great outlet for me this past year, what with this pandemic and lockdowns etc. And thanks to the administrators and mods for supporting this platform.

Syzygy · Sep 2, 2021

Walrus
some feel the need to post a cat

lindo · Sep 2, 2021

Caliber561
That said, is it possible more members are becoming jaded with newbies asking for an appraisal without posting pictures, etc?

I try to be open minded when a newby asks for advice on something they inherited or found in a junk shop - we should be broad enough to answer questions from those merely seeking information. And usually they get very good answers.

Having said that, it can be irritating when the person clearly has made no attempt to do any searching, or is posting a mass-produced quartz dress watch they think might be worth a small fortune, when in fact it is of no interest or value at all. I have noticed lately that some of these are not getting responses from Forum members, which probably shows that we are remarkably restrained and polite.

Walrus · Sep 2, 2021

Syzygy

Cat and squirrel well played sir, well played.

TasMike · Sep 2, 2021

In 1996 I created a team based AFL (Australian Football League) web site that included a forum. That forum is now the oldest continuously running AFL forum on the internet and has 4500 members; not as big as Omega Forums, but big and old enough to give me some experience in the online behaviour of forum users.

I know that watches are probaby not as provocative a topic as football, but even allowing for that I find the behaviour of the vast majority of members here to be inclusive and respectful. Of course there are people who are, maybe, somewhat intolerant of differing behaviour and views and have very short fuses, and then those who are intolerant of the intolerance, but the ones who are largely missing from here are those who are deliberately provocative and exist online only for acrimonious debate - if they can't find it, they create it. It's common behaviour on other forums and requires a strong and active moderation team. While respecting their dedication and the amount work involved in running a forum of this size I think that the moderators here have it easy by comparison.

I find this place to be welcoming and comfortable and I'm glad that I found it.

dennisthemenace · Sep 2, 2021

Syzygy

The forum started going downhill when the squirrel decided to leave. It's never been the same since.
Actually I tell a lie. The reason he chose to leave was because he could see that the forum was already going downhill.

TimeODanaos · Sep 2, 2021

pdxleaf
I noticed a few closed threads and a few heated threads lately.

I think you have noticed this exactly because by online standards OF really is a pretty civilized place and the mods do a hard job well. Sometimes a thread goes bad too fast to pull it back - we may be thinking of the same recent examples - and it can be a sad situation, but at least around here some folks like the OP care about it.

pdxleaf · Sep 2, 2021

dennisthemenace
The forum started going downhill when the squirrel decided to leave. It's never been the same since.
Actually I tell a lie. The reason he chose to leave was because he could see that the forum was already going downhill.

The squirrel seems to be a defining person. Either you were a member with the squirrel or you came after. Kindof like the Berlin wall, when it was up and after it was torn down. Or before the moon landing then after. Or something like that.

Sadly I am post-Squirrel and feel like a kid staying up late to listen in on the parents and their friends talk about the good old days with their friends whenever the squirrel is mentioned.

Not complaining or implying anything other than to say I admire the enduring relationships of the Squirrel era members.

Larry S · Sep 2, 2021

The squirrel era was indeed “interesting”.

flw · Sep 2, 2021

I would like to think that many of us find ΩF to be a refuge from the partisanship and snark that so dominate social media these days. I'm not a daily visitor here, nor the most prolific poster, but it seems to me that the trolls and coarse dialogue are still far more the exception than the rule here. And I agree that the mods do a great job, and a sizable core of members tend to call out the snarkiness and drive it away.

In better times (and I'm confident they're ahead), I'd like the opportunity to meet many of you in person and share a drink and good fellowship. (And some fantastic watches!)

marcn · Sep 2, 2021

State of the forum

pdxleaf

Caliber561

dsio

Shabbaz

dennisthemenace

Rochete

Walrus

apsm100

gbesq

DoctorEvil

Syzygy

lindo

Walrus

TasMike

dennisthemenace

TimeODanaos

pdxleaf

Larry S

flw

marcn

Similar threads

Interesting Video On The Current State Of The Rolex Market

AI pollution on the forum

What are some of your pet peeves in the forum?

Shopping watch dealers on cruise ships (Regalia/Swiss Crown USA/Omega) - Quantum of the Seas, Australia 2025 with mini ship review

Current state of the car market (US)

Some Thoughts On The Forum Main Page Layout Re-Marketplace